Smoke, flames and sparks came from building

Fireman last night tackled a blaze at a disused commercial premises in the centre of Naas.

The fire broke out at the long closed Forge Inn pub at about 11pm. It was brought under control within an hour.

This morning the area immediately outside the premises was cordoned off with emergency services plastic tape and a garda was on duty - pending the arrival of technical experts who will establish the cause of the blaze. Part of the redbrick exterior of the building has been blackened by the smoke.

Two fire tenders were at the scene last night along with two water tankers.

At least two garda vehicles were also at the scene and for a time traffic was moving in one direction only along a section of South Main Street.

Smoke billowed from two second floor windows in the three storey building and firefighters used two ladders to access the source of the fire. Sparks could be seen coming from the building as the firefighters directed water hoses from atop the ladders to the fire source.

At one point flames were clearly visible.

The Forge Inn this morning

It’s understood nobody was injured in the incident. The Firemen also broke an entrance through a wooden structure between the pub and the Bank of Ireland branch.

The building has not been occupied for some time and it is part of the derelict Naas Shopping Centre.

The receiver appointed by the National Asset Management Agency to find a buyer for the NSC sought to have the licence for the premises transferred to him from the developers of the shopping centre six months ago. The developers acquired a number of premises in that part of the town as part of the shopping centre development a decade ago.

A much more serious fire broke out within the shopping centre itself in July 2017, not long after the receiver was appointed. Shortly afterwards a round the clock security presence was deployed.

The incident is sure to add to local frustration at the failure of the centre to open and to date the building has not been put up for sale.

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